


Ashaph (אַשָׁף)

by consumptive_sphinx



Series: Mage AU [4]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Ambiguous Relationship, Gen, Jewish Character, M/M, Mage AU, Sephardi Jewish Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 22:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10558458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consumptive_sphinx/pseuds/consumptive_sphinx
Summary: Hamilton's magical training does not go anywhere close to normal.(As if anything about Hamilton could ever be callednormal.Really, what was Washington expecting?)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iniquiticity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iniquiticity/gifts).



> title is the Hebrew word for "wizard".

_ He hadn't tried to. It wasn't on purpose, really it wasn't. It was just that he needed those books, because where else was he going to learn? There weren't a lot of of them, but he needed them. Alexander was as surprised as anyone when the books were found in his bedroom. Really he was, he hadn't stolen them on purpose. _

_ Except - the books that had appeared couldn't be taken out of the house afterwards, and even Alexander wasn't sure why. _

  
  
  


The first time Washington sees him summon a book he's not surprised that it happens, perse. He's surprised that Hamilton seems to be doing it completely by accident, like he's so accustomed to summoning whatever he needs that he doesn't even notice anymore.

How early must he have mastered his magic? How powerful  _ is _ this boy?

The interesting thing is that he can only do it with books. At first, only the Hebrew prayer-book he keeps tucked under one arm, but after a few weeks of training he can do it with almost any book - "Steuben's drill manual," Washington says, and Hamilton lays it in his hand, even though they're on the far side of the regiment and Washington knows very well where that book is. But even then, only books.

The other interesting thing is that Hamilton doesn't seem to be going about it the usual way; he isn't summoning an object. Not really. If he were, once he got the process down it would work with anything. It's more like he's bonding to the books, the way some mages do with their staves (Hamilton uses a wand instead, tarnished silver in the shape of a pointing finger, and despite having earned a position of trust in the boy's estimation - or so Hamilton had said, and so Washington has observed - Washington cannot persuade him to explain why).

But Hamilton appears to be bonding to more objects than Washington has ever heard of, and remarkably quickly - again: just how powerful  _ is _ he? Every time Washington thinks he's found the upper limit of Hamilton's magical talent, he does something else astounding.

He is not all-powerful, of course. It takes him a long time to pick up what to Washington were basic skills - the exercise with the pebbles takes him months - but once Hamilton masters levitation, he can lift Nelson with ease. Nelson, naturally, is somewhat less than pleased about this, but Washington is more impressed with his apprentice than sympathetic towards his familiar - the first time, at least; after that he does his best to rein Hamilton in.

“I’m proud of you,” he makes sure to tell the boy, and although Hamilton is clearly trying not to react - he glows at the compliment. 

  
  
  


Washington does his best to make sense of him.

"How do you do that?" he asks, again and again, and again and again Hamilton struggles to explain - "I just do, it's like snapping my fingers, is it not this natural for everyone?" - but even that gives answers, to a trained mage. Hamilton has had no training except for a handful of books in a language that he calls Ladino and that looks like a mixture of Spanish and Hebrew, apparently found at the back of a library, and so he has no idea what a normal mage looks like. 

That is not a surprise, precisely. Washington knows little of Hamilton’s background, a state of affairs with which Hamilton seems quite content, but a child from the Caribbean cannot have had many opportunities to train as a mage, regardless of his obvious talent. But the extent of it surprises him; Washington would have thought that there would have been something on the summoning and bonding processes in a book of magic, even the sort that might be found on a Caribbean island. 

“No,” Washington answers, again and again, “it is not this natural for everybody. You’re very talented, son.” 

Hamilton barely bristles at the appellation anymore. Washington could glow a little himself. 


End file.
